


When Tragedy Strikes

by Unicorn_BadAss



Series: Young Love [3]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Car Accidents, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Minor Character Death, Romance, Sad with a Happy Ending, Triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-11 00:38:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11703156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unicorn_BadAss/pseuds/Unicorn_BadAss
Summary: The weekend after school officially ends (but before Graduation) means different things to different people. For most of the senior class, it means a large bonfire with drugs and alcohol involved. For Wynonna and Nicole, even Waverly (who still has another year of High-School), it means having a Disney movie marathon with tons of junk food.However, when the phone rings in the middle of Peter Pan, will the rest of the night go as smoothly as a flight to Neverland?*Continuation of the Young Love series*





	1. Popcorn or M&M's: Never Both

Nicole ran down the hallway of the High-School, towards the exit facing the football field, screaming as excitement and adrenaline coursed through her entire bodies. With Wynonna and Waverly running closely behind- Wynonna screaming with more excitement than Nicole could ever hope to- Nicole felt a large smile form on her lips. Only moments ago, Nicole heard the last ringing of the High-School bell (at least the last time it would ever mean anything to her) before all the seniors threw their papers on the floors of every classroom.

Although Waverly wouldn't be graduating until the following year, she participated with the seniors in her English class by throwing a single piece of blank paper onto the floor. Nicole laughed lightly while watching Waverly silently gather her notebooks into her book-bag before one of the seniors could use the pages as more confetti, knowing Waverly wanted to keep every shred of notes she took throughout her High-School career. Once Waverly managed to get all of her things into her bag safely, Nicole walked over to her desk before gently pulling the youngest Earp into a kiss.

Since the bell signaled the "official" beginning of summer, Nicole smiled against Waverly's lips at the thought of the kiss being their first for the summer. Pulling away from Waverly with a small smirk on her lips, Nicole grabbed Waverly's hand before running out of the room towards Wynonna's location. Seniors were lining the hallways, screaming and throwing more objects onto the ground, making it difficult for Nicole to get through the crowd with Waverly attached to her hand. Nonetheless, Nicole was able to get Waverly safely through the mass of seniors to Wynonna.

Which led to the three girls running down the only empty hallway, out of the building, and to the bleachers by the football field. Nicole could feel a burning sensation start to crawl up the back of her legs with each passing second and every step she took, but she kept pushing forward until reaching the top of the bleachers. Trying to catch her breath, Nicole sat down on the cool metal bench watching as Wynonna and Waverly finally caught up with her; Wynonna acting more out of shape than the other two.

"Remind me again why... I thought it was a good idea... to run to the top of the bleachers... against _Long-Leg Haught-shot_ and _Wave-Runner_ ?" Wynonna asked in between each breath while sitting on the bench across from Nicole. Nicole felt a smile form on her lips as Wynonna fell back onto the bench with her eyes closed while Waverly stood in confusion. Wynonna wasn't joking with Waverly's nickname, since the youngest Earp could run five miles without breaking a sweat or needing a moment to cool down. _Without these long legs, Waverly would have beat me here for sure._

"First, you watched that 'Wallflower' movie and got the idea from there. Second, how in the hell are you two tired from that? I am ready to run five more!" Waverly responded with heavy sarcasm in the beginning half of her response. Wynonna, still laying down on the bleacher, held her middle finger up in Waverly's direction while letting out a heavy sigh. Nicole could only smile since laughing didn't help in the task of catching her breath.

"Wynonna has a point: not everyone is programmed with your amount of energy Waverly," Nicole said, trying to help her best friend win an argument against Waverly. Watching as Waverly's mouth fell open in slight offense to her comment, Nicole smiled while standing up before walking the short distance to Waverly. Nicole gently put her hands on Waverly's cheeks, effectively stopping any words of retaliation the youngest Earp could have had, while leaning their foreheads together.

Nicole closed her eyes, only wanting this memory to be filled with the sound of Waverly breathing and the electric feeling running through her body from touching Waverly. Taking slow/steady breaths in order to calm the horse racing within her heart, Nicole placed a simple kiss on the end of Waverly's nose while her hands remained on Waverly's cheeks. However, all of Nicole's efforts to calm her racing heart were thrown out the window when she felt Waverly's move to rest right above her heart.

Opening her eyes, Nicole looked down at Waverly's hand over her heart before her eyes quickly darted back up to meet Waverly's. Neither Waverly nor Nicole believed in the possibility of soulmates, finding the idea of the Universe predetermining a person's love-life to be ridiculous and practically impossible. But, in that moment, with Nicole gently holding Waverly and Waverly feeling Nicole's heartbeat, both girls started to believe they were meant to be together. However, Nicole's thoughts were broken when she saw a silent tear flow down Waverly's face.

"You two need to start paying me! Without me here, you two would never get these pictures of the romantically gross moments I am forced to sit through," Wynonna yelled, causing Waverly to jump back a little in surprise. Rolling her eyes, Nicole quickly grabbed her phone from Wynonna's hands before replacing it with her last piece of gum as Wynonna stood up to protest. "See Waverly! At least Nicole knows how to take care of me!"

"It isn't my fault you live up to the ' _High-school students constantly need gum_ ' standard and I can't chew that shit!" Waverly responded as she started walking down the steps of the bleachers. Wynonna opened her mouth in response, but the words on the tip of her tongue were suddenly stopped when Nicole gave her a stern look. The same look Nicole used when she needed Wynonna to keep her mouth shut and just behave. Nicole watched as Wynonna began following Waverly down the bleachers while rolling her eyes.

**...**

Turning off the engine to her Jeep, Waverly quickly jumped out of the car and locked the doors before running across the small front yard to Nicole's car. Not noticing the youngest Earp running in her direction, Nicole got out of her own car and moved to lock the door before being interrupted by Waverly knocking her down onto the ground. Once she felt who had run into her, Nicole's instincts went into overdrive, causing her to hold onto Waverly tight as she shifted to where Waverly would land on top- less likely to get hurt.

A loud groan escaped Nicole's lips due to the force of her back hitting the ground and the added force of Waverly's weight on top, before the groan became replaced with laughter. Waverly's hands gently held onto the sides of Nicole's face while worry spread throughout her body.  _Oh no... oh no no no. Please tell me my attempts to be romantically cute like the movies did not just break Nicole's back!_ However, once Waverly's ears registered the sound of Nicole laughing, her heart began to calm down within her chest.

"I am so sorry Nicole! I was trying to run to you like all the cute couples do in the movies but then you fell. And you landed on your back while I landed on top of you. Are you hurt? What am I saying... Of course, you are probably hurt and it is only 7 at night. We made it through shopping with Wynonna for snacks without injury and the moment we all get back to the Homestead-" Waverly's sentence was interrupted when Nicole reached up and pulled the younger girl down. Capturing Waverly's lips with her own, Nicole smiled into the kiss while ignoring the pain creeping up her back.

"One of these days you are going to ramble to the point of passing out and my magic lips won't be there because of some stupid reason like work or pancakes," Nicole said softly against Waverly's lips. Waverly's cheeks started turning a bright shade of red before the youngest Earp moved off Nicole, extending a hand out to help Nicole up off the ground. However, as she started standing up, Nicole felt a huge crack in the middle of her back, causing Nicole to lean forward in pain.

When the sound of Waverly's gasps reached her ears, Nicole put her hand up in Waverly's direction to stop a possible rambling session again. Nicole stayed leaning forward for a moment, taking deep breaths in attempts to counter the sharp pain shooting up her spine. After a total of five minutes full of trying to catch her breath, stop the pain in her back, and reassuring Waverly she was fine, Nicole stood up at the sound of Wynonna pulling into the driveway.

"Finally she is here! I still don't know how you and I left the store after Wynonna but still beat her back here," Waverly said while putting her arm around Nicole in order to help her walk inside the house. "We all probably could have been back here sooner if she hadn't started the argument about ' _Popcorn or M &M's: never both'_. Nonetheless, I am going back to town to get you something for your back and don't you dare try to stop me," Waverly finished with a stern look on her face.

"Nice job Waverly. Nicole just got out of High-School and you are already breaking her back in life," Wynonna chimed in with a smirk on her face. Moving to hold Nicole on the front porch so Waverly could leave, Wynonna stood at the edge of the steps before calling out to Wynonna. "Just be careful on the roads baby-girl! Redhead and I are going to start watching Peter Pan without you!"

Walking to her Jeep, Waverly held her middle finger up in Wynonna's direction, causing her older sister's laughs to be heard right before the door closed.  _Great Wynonna! Now you are going to make me rush there and back so I don't miss too much of my favorite movie!_ One the engine started running, Waverly looked in her mirror at Nicole leaning against Wynonna on the porch, with a pained smile on her lips. Waverly pulled out of the driveway quickly: now on a mission to get back to a different and real redhead.


	2. Off to Neverland

Nicole laid on Wynonna's bed, propped up with stolen pillows from Waverly's room and an old heating pad Wynonna found after ten minutes of searching in the guest room. Before taking a seat on the floor at the end of her bed, Wynonna turned on her television and started the movie she promised Waverly she would. With a bowl of buttery popcorn in her lap and the remote to the television sitting at her side, Nicole would occasionally throw a piece of popcorn at Wynonna, who would reply by simply eating the popcorn.

As time passed while the movie continued playing, Nicole started subconsciously checking her phone every couple of minutes.  _Waverly has been gone for more than twenty minutes without any messages or calls... Hopefully she is okay and her phone just died or something._ Nicole shifted to look out the window, noticing the sun had gone down completely with the only source for light being the moon. A small smile grew on Nicole's face as she thought back to the time she told Waverly the old legend of the sun and the moon.

The legend of the sun and moon had been one Nicole's mother started telling her after her father left and she couldn't sleep at night. Nicole would sit in the small space of her window at night, staring up at the stars and the moon in the sky wondering where her father was and why he never called. Before Nicole's step-father entered the picture (which wasn't a bad thing), Nicole's mother would go in her room at night and sit with her in the window before telling how the sun and the moon are always chasing each other.

"What about the sun and the moon?" Wynonna asked, pausing the movie before turning to face Nicole on her bed.  _Did I say that out loud?_ Moving her focus from the window to Wynonna, Nicole tried to think back to the exact way her mother would tell the legend. There were no words to describe the feeling Nicole would get when listening to the way her mother explained the relationship between the sun and the moon.  _It just always felt as if I was there in the sky with them, watching everything._

"Just thinking about a story my mother used to tell me when I couldn't sleep at night," Nicole replied while glancing down at her hands. However, when she looked back up to find the movie still paused and Wynonna still curious, Nicole smiled while rolling her eyes. "There is an old legend that has been passed down throughout generations of people, about the origins of the sun and the moon. Before they were the things we see in the sky today, the sun and the moon were almost gods walking on the Earth among normal people.

The sun was a prince who belonged to a long line of royals, the bloodline of the family well known. Meanwhile, the moon was a long lost princess who belonged to a royal family whose bloodline had been long forgotten several years before her birth. Their families hated each other, blaming the other for the problems going on in their lives; where do you think _Romeo and Juliet_ came from? Neither the sun nor the moon knew of the other's existence, but they still felt a certain pull on their heart whenever they saw each other through a window or in public places.

Until one day, the moon had been walking through the town square without any of her family following, causing the sun to sneak away in order to meet her. Looking up from her book, the moon saw the sun standing in front of her with a bright smile on his face with his hand extended out towards her. Neither of them spoke a word, but when the moon took the sun's hand gently, all the feelings building up were finally understood between them. And every evening since meeting in the town square, the sun, and the moon would meet in secret.

But their meetings were put to a stop when their families found out, forbidding the sun and the moon from ever seeing each other again. After a week passed, both the sun and the moon sitting alone in their rooms looking towards the sky with broken hearts, they passed away in their sleep from the heartache of not being able to see each other. However, it was not the last time they would see each other.

The next day, when the sun rose up in the sky, he raced towards the evening in order to catch a glimpse of the moon. When the moon saw her sun in the sky, she too raced in order to see him. That is how the sun and the moon race against time every day and night in order to catch a glimpse of each other before being pulled in a different direction," Nicole finished with a small smile on her face. Wynonna had moved to sit on the bed with Nicole after the first sentence of the story, wanting to hear every part.

"That is some pretty intense stuff Nicole. Your mother used to tell you that story when you couldn't sleep?" Wynonna replied due to not knowing how to react to the legend. Nicole lightly laughed while simply nodding her head in Wynonna's direction, understanding the conflict in Wynonna on how to take the meaning of the story. "Okay... So before I hurt my head thinking about all that, I am going to hit play on the movie and instead think about what is taking Waverly so long."

Jumping off the bed, Wynonna smirked before reaching into Nicole's bowl of popcorn and stealing a huge handful of the buttery snack before running to hit play on the movie. Without any time to stop the assault on her popcorn, Nicole held up her middle finger in Wynonna's direction while turning her attention back to the television. They had just reached the part of the movie where Peter Pan and the kids made it to Neverland, sparking jealousy in Tinker Bell.  _How can anyone be mad at her? Someone came in and sort of messed up the small routine Tinker Bell finally had with her family. No one deals with change all that well._

However, the continuation of the movie did not last long when Wynonna's cellphone started ringing, to which she answered quickly hoping Waverly would be on the other line. Nicole watched intently as the expression on Wynonna's face changed from excited to worry and broken within a matter of minutes. Slowly moving off the bed while ignoring her back pain, Nicole barely paid attention to the soft words coming from Wynonna, more focused on the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Is she okay? What in the hell do you mean you don't know?! How can you call me and not know how she is doing?! Which hospital did they take her too again?! Okay, warn them that her sister is coming so they better be taking amazing care of Waverly!" Wynonna yelled into the phone before throwing it across the room into the wall. Nicole sat in front of Wynonna frozen with fear as the words "hospital" and "Waverly" were used in the same sentence, along with the behavior of Wynonna.

"Wynonna, what is going on right now? Who was that on the phone?" Nicole asked in attempts to get her best friend to focus on something. Wynonna simply turned to Nicole as the tears in her eyes began falling down her face faster with each passing second. Knowing Wynonna never cried unless the situation was life-threatening, Nicole felt her heart break within her chest as she hugged Wynonna tightly. "Just tell me where I need to drive Wynonna and we will be there faster than you know."

"Waverly... they just called and said... someone hit her... she was on the road driving back here and... Nicole, they said Waverly was in a car accident and had to be taken to Purgatory Hospital by a helicopter," Wynonna finally managed to get out between the tears and the breaths her lungs tried getting. Without a second thought, Nicole helped Wynonna up off the floor before leading her out of the house and to the car.  _Don't freak out Nicole... Just breath and get to the hospital with Wynonna in one piece. You need to be strong for Wynonna right now._


	3. Fears Hidden in the Walls

Nicole sat in the drivers seat of her car, attempting to focus on the road while ignoring the growing pain of silence filling the space between Wynonna and herself. When Nicole first started driving towards the hospital, she turned on the radio in hopes of music easing Wynonna's worrying heart, along with calming down her own. However, every radio station Nicole tried seemed to be playing depressing, sad music: such as "Gone to Soon" by Michael Jackson, "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry, and "See You Again" by Carrie Underwood. With each time Wynonna had to change the station, Nicole watched her slowly grow darker and more furious.

Nicole remained strong throughout hearing a few seconds of each song, not letting her emotions take control of her actions for Wynonna's sake. She simply continued driving and watching as Wynonna messed with the buttons on the radio trying to find something to listen to and take her thoughts off the situation. However, after a minute of Wynonna searching the radio, Nicole's eyes grew wide with tears forming in the corners of them when Wynonna stopped on one station with the same reaction. The song hadn't just started, actually being close to the end, but when those words entered Nicole's ears, she couldn't help the fear sweeping over her mind.

 **_Take the very breath you gave me._ **  
**_Take the heart from my chest._ **  
**_I'll gladly take her place if you'll let me._ **  
**_Make this my last request._ **  
**_Take me out of this world._ **  
**_God, please don't take the girl._ **

Nonetheless, Nicole reached out and turned the radio completely off before Wynonna released a tidal wave of fury in the vehicle or before Wynonna went through another panic attack. Knowing they were still about ten minutes out when she turned off the radio, Nicole gently reached across the opening between the two front seats in search of Wynonna's hand. If not to show Wynonna she was not alone in that moment of time, Nicole needed someone to hold onto in order to keep her feelings and emotions together so she could finis driving safely. Nicole didn't want to feel alone in that moment either; because once she did, Nicole didn't know if she could ever come out of that feeling.

With Wynonna holding her hand, gently squeezing it every couple of minutes when time seemed to be moving too slowly, Nicole saw the lights of the hospital approaching along with the increasing rate of her heart. Nicole quickly pulled into the small parking lot next to the Purgatory Emergency center, finding an open spot without hesitation, before sitting in the car with the engine still running. Not knowing when Wynonna would be ready mentally or emotionally to get out and enter the hospital, Nicole turned her attention to Wynonna with pleading eyes as if begging her best friend for a sign on what to do next.

"Please Nicole," Wynonna replied with a new desperation and pain lying behind her words that Nicole had never encountered before. There had been many times when Nicole saw Wynonna break down or witness Wynonna feeling vulnerable against the world. However, none of those times in the past when Nicole panicked while trying to comfort her best friend compared to this moment. This moment when Wynonna fell to the weakest and darkest part of her mind as Nicole sat beside her knowing exactly what to do.

Nodding her head with a small smile, Nicole turned off the car and threw her keys into the cup holder before getting out to help Wynonna walk inside. Nicole knew Wynonna could walk just fine on her own physically; but with all the emotions floating around in Wynonna's head, Nicole knew she needed to be Wynonna's support system. Once Wynonna closed the car door behind her, she leaned into Nicole's side and took a deep breath as her feet began moving towards the entrance of the hospital.

Nicole felt an eerie chill crawl down her spine, through her legs, to the tips of her toes once the door to the Emergency Room closed behind her. Hospitals always brought this same chill to Nicole, knowing people died in here and families suffered through various waiting games in here. Knowing behind all these walls, a person took their last breath and closed their eyes for the last time without getting the opportunity to finish life. Nicole understood these walls also held some of the worst memories for those lucky enough to escape the barren walls.

Wynonna looked up into Nicole's eyes without saying a word, and Nicole could read everything Wynonna was trying to say without hurting herself even more. Nodding her head once more with a small smile on her face, Nicole walked towards the front desk with Wynonna hanging onto her hand as if Nicole's hand was the last thing tying together her sanity with her mind. Even though Nicole only had one mission in mind when entering the hospital and walking towards the desk, she did not fail to notice the other families sitting in the waiting area, with sullen looks across their faces.

"We are here for Waverly Earp," Nicole said confidently when the nurse at the front desk looked up at her with questioning eyes. Watching as the nurse began typing on her computer keyboard, Nicole tightened her grip on Wynonna's hand in fear of what news the nurse may have in a few moments. "This is her sister Wynonna and I'm Nicole... I'm a family friend," Nicole added knowing the nurse was about to ask for their relationship to Waverly. No matter how much her heart wanted to admit to being more than a friend to Waverly, Nicole's head knew now would not be the time to place a label in front of a stranger.

"First let me start by saying Waverly just got out of surgery and is awake but in critical condition. I am assuming you two already know the reason why Waverly was brought here, correct?" the nurse asked softly, with a kind and sincere tone. However, when Wynonna didn't look up at the nurse and Nicole held a questioning expression on her face, the nurse took a deep breath. "Waverly was in an extremely bad car accident. A young man and some of his friends were drinking and ran the stop sign going 55 miles-per-hour, hitting Waverly's vehicle of the driver's side. According to the police report and the EMT report on record, Waverly suffered multiple injuries, including broken ribs, broken wrist, several cuts and bruises on her entire body, a mild concussion, and some internal bleeding."

Nicole flinched at the mention of all the injuries Waverly sustained during the accident, trying to force the worst possible image of Waverly laying in her Jeep bleeding, crying, and alone only seconds after the accident. Nicole also felt Wynonna grab onto her shirt with extreme force as tears cascaded down her face, dripping onto Nicole's shoulder. Without any thought, Nicole gently rested her head against the top of Wynonna's and held her best friend as tight as she could without hurting her, before looking back to the nurse.

"Waverly is extremely lucky to be alive and functioning right now, as the young man driving and a few of his friends were not so lucky and passed away on impact. As I said before, Waverly is awake and out of surgery, which the doctors needed to do to set some of her bones and fix the internal bleeding. There are probably a couple of nurses and doctors in her room doing various tests to see the full effect of her concussion," the nurse continued explaining. Nicole nodded her head to acknowledge what the nurse had said.

No words were forming in Nicole's lips regarding how to respond to the severity of the situation or the news the nurse explained. Her train of thought completely disappeared within the walls of her mind as she tried to comprehend the amount of information just given. Knowing Wynonna and herself would probably have to wait for a few minutes to see Waverly, until the testing was finished, Nicole started to turn with Wynonna towards the small waiting area. However, when Nicole felt a soft hand land on hers, she turned back to see the nurse looking at the two of them with hurting eyes.

"I normally don't do this, but you two shouldn't have to sit out here with all your emotions on display for these people to gossip about. If you would like, I can take you and Wynonna back to wait outside of Waverly's room. The doctors should almost be done with their tests, meaning you two could see Waverly soon," the nurse whispered to Nicole, not wanting the other people in the waiting room to hear. A small smile formed on Nicole's lips and her heart warmed within her chest at the nurses kind offer, knowing Wynonna definitely needed it.

"That would be great... Thank you so much," Nicole whispered in reply after feeling Wynonna nod her head against her should, hiding her face while still crying and trying to catch her breath. The nurse smiled politely and warmly before motioning for Nicole and Wynonna to head towards the large doors closing off the waiting room from the Emergency Room. Watching the doors open automatically a few seconds after the nurse left from behind the front desk, Nicole closed her eyes and took a deep breath to prepare herself for everything beyond the doors.

Nicole had been in an Emergency Room plenty of times growing up after her brothers climbed to high in a tree and broke a bone falling or when Nicole tried to hold up a huge rock in order to show her step-father how strong she was.  _That stupid rock still sits on the front porch with dried blood from my forehead, as a funny story and a cheap Halloween decoration._ Once someone walks through those large doors in order to go back and see a loved one, that person would possibly hear the screams of other patients or families along with rushed talking between nurses and doctors.

Shaking her head to rid the thoughts from her mind, Nicole walked with Wynonna as they followed the nurse from the front desk through several different hallways. Although silence remained thick between them, Nicole felt Wynonna flinch against her every time a distant scream echoed down the halls or every time a monitor started alarming in the various rooms they passed. Nicole could only hug Wynonna gently each time since she felt the same effects from the noises as Wynonna.

"This is Waverly's room and from the looks of it, the doctors are finishing up. I will go in and tell them not to worry about explaining anything right now since I did it before and I would like to do it again after you two get a chance to see Waverly," the nurse said comfortingly. Nicole smiled while nodding her head and muttering a silent thank you to the nurse. "Before I go, is there anything else I can do to help? Would either of you like a cup of coffee or something else to drink?"

"Coffee would be amazing," Nicole replied before watching as the nurse nodded her head and walked into Waverly's room. Helping Wynonna sit down in one of the chairs outside Waverly's room, Nicole looked in the window with pleading eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of Waverly. However, her heart sunk in her chest when the curtain was pulled to block anyone's view of Waverly, with the doctors standing around the end of the bed just past the end of the curtain. When the nurse had one of the doctors bend down so she could whisper in her ear, Nicole wondered if Waverly had been calling for them. Calling for either Wynonna, her Aunt, or even for Nicole herself.

 _How much does Waverly even remember? With the concussion, did she forget her sister Wynonna? Did... did she forget about me?_ Even though it made Nicole feel selfish, the thought of Waverly forgetting who Nicole was, the amount of courage it took for Nicole to ask Waverly to prom, their first kiss on the dance floor in front of most of the school, or even the way Waverly smiled with her forehead resting on Nicole's, all caused Nicole's heart to start racing even faster. Her vision started blurring around the edges while her head began feeling lighter than the air around it.

Luckily for Nicole, Wynonna looked up in time to notice the change in Nicole's appearance before standing up quickly to help her best friend sit. Wynonna knew if she waited a second longer to pull Nicole back to reality- the same way Nicole had been doing since finding out about the accident- her best friend would have passed out and fallen to the floor, risking injury. Holding Nicole close and running her fingers through Nicole's hair, Wynonna realized it was her turn to be strong for a moment so Nicole could let go of some of the emotions she had been locking up in order to be strong for her.

"Let it out Nicole. It is my turn to help you. Just let it all out," Wynonna whispered softly, her eyes watching as the nurse left the room with a small smile on her face before turning down a different hall. Not a second later, Nicole did as Wynonna said and opened the floodgates of her heart, her eyes turning puffy and red while tears streamed seamlessly down her face. Nicole buried her head in the space of Wynonna's neck, silently pleading for Waverly to be okay. Wynonna sat in her chair, gently rocking Nicole and whispering comforting words to her best friend before she understood one of the things Nicole was saying.

"Please... please let Waverly remember us. I need her to remember me or I don't think I will be able to do this. Please, someone... anyone... let Waverly be okay and remember us..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First I would like to say I do not own any of the rights to the music used or mentioned in this chapter.
> 
> Now, onto the important stuff! I know I originally said this story would only be three chapters. But as I continued writing this one, I suddenly knew it needed to be four. Otherwise, I would not be able to give you guys all the details this piece needed.
> 
> Also, all those thoughts Nicole had about Hospitals and Emergency Rooms are actually my own from personal experience with them. No, I did not share Nicole's experiences mentioned in this chapter, but I have been in and out of the hospital with enough near-death experiences to understand.
> 
> I hope you guys have been enjoying the Young Love series as much as I have. With all the real experiences Nicole and Waverly are going through on the show right now, I needed something to fill the hole in my heart.


	4. Big Girls Don't Cry

Silent chatter among the doctors floated into Waverly's ears as she laid in the hospital bed, trying to deal with the physical pain filling her entire body and the emotional pain brought about by the situation. In order to complete the necessary testing for Waverly, the doctors had to make her relive the accident by not only asking for specific details but also by reading her the police report. The doctors needed to see how much stress her mind and body could handle after such a traumatic experience; they pushed her limits.

Unfortunately for Waverly, her limits in regards to dealing with stress, anxiety, and more went beyond a normal person's on any given day.  _I guess I have Daddy and Willa to thank for that... For making my shoulders large enough to hold the weight of the entire world without fatigue._ Waverly winced in pain with a tear falling down her cheek while moving her head to face the ceiling. Even though the doctors informed her that no injuries were sustained in her neck, Waverly felt as though her entire neck shattered.

 "Miss Earp, from all the testing we have completed, there does not appear to be further neurological injuries besides the concussion. However, you may experience some PTSD in the form of flashbacks, sudden panic attacks, and even night terrors due to the severity of the car accident," the head doctor began saying. "If those begin to occur and you feel the need, we do have therapists and other specialists you are able to talk with. All you have to do is have your nurse contact one of the doctors on call."

Waverly subconsciously nodded her head to acknowledge everything the doctor had explained so far, even though the main focus of her thoughts had been on the accident itself. Balling her fist into the sheet on the hospital bed, Waverly remembers driving on the road back to the Homestead with a bag of medicine for Nicole's back along with other snacks to share during movie night. Waverly watches in the back of her mind as her Jeep approaches a crossroad with a stop sign on each road.  _I even looked both ways... There was nothing coming from either side. But the moment I started driving again..._

Waverly's thoughts were broken when the door to her room opened before a nurse walked in and moved to whisper in the doctor's ear. Only able to catch some of the words the nurse whispered, Waverly attempted to look out her window, grunting in defeat when she saw the curtain blocking her view. Not a minute later, the nurse left the room again, leaving Waverly feeling utterly alone with the doctors.

"To continue, we want to monitor your progress of healing for at least two weeks, in which physical therapy will stop by to help your movement abilities. After two weeks, depending on the recommendation from the physical therapists and how you are progressing, we will discuss whether you go home or should stay longer. Do you have any questions, comments, or concerns before any of us leave the room?" the doctor finished while the others in the room were writing notes.

"Am I allowed to have visitors? Is it possible to get my belongings from the police because I need to call my sister and my... my friend. Please," Waverly responded with as much urgency as softness in her voice. No one had told Waverly if Wynonna or Nicole were contacted yet since waking up from the surgery. Although Waverly tried asking for at least Wynonna, the doctors insisted on performing tests to understand the extent of her injuries. Instead of fighting and possibly making things worse, Waverly allowed the doctors to do the tests without complaining.

"We will have your belongings brought to your room as soon as we are able to. In regards to visitors, the nurse who came in a few moments ago said your sister and a family friend were waiting outside the room. Normally, I do not allow visitors on the first night. But, I am willing to make an exception this once," the doctor said before walking towards the door.

A smile of relief appeared on Waverly's face as she silently thanked the doctor. Even though her entire body still ached constantly, Waverly felt a small feeling of comfort Wash over knowing Wynonna was right outside. Waverly didn't know if Wynonna, Nicole, or even herself would go insane first for not being able to see each other tonight.  _Wait, the doctor said a family friend... Did Nicole even come?_

**...**

 Nicole quickly moved out of Wynonna's embrace when the sound of Waverly's door opening filled her ears. Watching as a small team of doctors began leaving the room, Nicole turned towards the window of Waverly's room in hopes of the curtain being moved. However, Nicole felt her already hurting heart sink further into her chest when she saw the curtain had still been blocking the sight of Waverly.

Nicole's thoughts were broken when Wynonna stood up after lightly tapping Nicole on the shoulder. Noticing one of the doctors walking towards them, Nicole stood up next to Wynonna and reached for her hand, needing something to keep her grounded. With a light squeeze of her hand from Wynonna, Nicole took a deep breath to prepare herself for whatever the doctor would say.

"I understand the nurse asked me not to go into great details about Waverly, saying she already explained much of it to you. However, there are a few important things I feel I must say before allowing you two to visit with Waverly," the doctor said softly after finishing looking through the papers on her clipboard.

Wynonna nodded her head in understanding while Nicole stood beside her silently, feeling the speed of her heart start to increase in her chest. Neither girl knew what words the doctor might say next, but both hoped the news would make their heads and hearts be able to calm down for the first time since arriving at the hospital.

"First, it is important to note that Waverly has not yet been informed of the deaths of Champ and Pete, along with the injuries of others-"

"Hold up one minute... You mean to tell me the idiot who almost killed my sister was Champ-fucking-Hardy?" Wynonna asked, successfully interrupting the doctor. Nicole's head shot up at the mention of Waverly's ex-boyfriend, now dead-ex-boyfriend.  _Even though they weren't together anymore, knowing he is gone is going to devastate Waverly._

"Unfortunately yes. And Waverly has not yet been made aware of his death yet because we feel she may better handle the news from people she knows and trusts. Which leads me to my next point. Due to the severity of the accident, Waverly may experience PTSD. So I highly recommend waiting a while to bring up more sensitive information," the doctor replied to Wynonna.

Nicole and Wynonna tightened the grip on each other's hands at the thought of PTSD, since both have seen the ways PTSD can affect a person. For Nicole, she saw the way PTSD caused her Grandpa to worry every time he left the house, never leaving without a gun on his hip or a bulletproof vest under his shirt. Her Grandpa was the reason Nicole understood the need to protect people, since he had been a police officer his whole life.

However, Wynonna saw the different effects of PTSD in her father, turning him into a cold-hearted alcoholic. Ever since her father found their mother after she hung herself in the bathroom, Wynonna saw the event eat away at her father's heart. Soon after he would continue to scream at either her or Waverly, blaming them for what their mother did.

"We informed Waverly of the ways she could reach out for help if the effects of PTSD became too much. But I am also asking the two of you to keep an eye out for her please," the doctor continued, earning a nod from both Wynonna and Nicole. "Thank you. The last thing I want to say before you two head in is Waverly does not appear to have any memory loss or neurological injuries. However, if something about the way she interacts or behaves does not seem normal, please inform either myself or one of the nurses."

Nicole couldn't keep he thoughts together in a straight, coherent line while the doctor started walking down the hall. Wynonna took a deep breath of relief, excited to finally be able to see Waverly after a long wait. But when she tried to walk towards the door, Nicole stood still while staring at the floor and her hand tightly attached to Wynonna's.

Turning back towards Nicole, Wynonna was met with tear-filled eyes and a questioning expression on Nicole's face.  _She doesn't know if she should go in or not... Come on Haught, Waverly would be even more hurt if you weren't in there with us. She needs you just as much as you need her. And... I need you in there with me._

With just one soft look from Wynonna, Nicole understood all those thoughts and more. No words needed to be shared between Wynonna and Nicole in order for them to understand and convey each others' thoughts. They both just knew each other well enough to see what the other was feeling or thinking.

Nodding her head, Nicole walked the short distance to Waverly's room with Wynonna and a worried heart. Nicole opened the door for Wynonna, knowing Waverly would want to see her sister before anyone else. However, when Nicole heard Wynonna gasp after moving to see Waverly, Nicole let go of the door and quickly moved to see Waverly as well.

Silent tears burned down Nicole's cheeks as she tried to take in the sight of Waverly in the hospital bed. Bandages, I.V. tubes, and wires scattered Waverly's body, along with several dark bruises and cuts. The only thing keeping Nicole from dropping to the floor crying had been the sound of the monitor signaling Waverly's heart beating and Waverly's eyes.

"Baby-girl I am so so sorry this happened and I wasn't there with you... we weren't there with you," Wynonna cried softly before rushing to the side of Waverly's bed and pulling her into a hug. Hearing Waverly silently grunt in pain from Wynonna's embrace caused Nicole to shift on her feet. "Are you okay? Did the doctors treat you kindly? Do I need to send Nicole to kick someone's ass?"

"I'm doing better now that I can see you two. I was so worried no one called you. At first, I thought I was dying and I wouldn't be able to say goodbye," Waverly replied with a shaky voice and trembling hands. Nicole moved to the other side of Waverly's bed when Waverly finished talking. Reaching out slowly after sitting in a chair, Nicole held Waverly's hand and placed gentle kisses on it.

"I'm pretty sure Wynonna wouldn't have let that happen," Nicole replied softly with a small smile on her face. Wynonna lightly laughed from the chair on the other side of Waverly's bed. Holding both Nicole's and Wynonna's hand, Waverly felt the tears falling down her face subside as her heart calmed within her chest.  _Thank you... for giving me both Nicole and Wynonna. Thank you... for giving me home._


End file.
